piano moving truck



June 18, 1929. M. E. Al DCOCK ET AL PIANO uoviue TRUCK 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 23 m H Wm. M w on m ce T. IMM MA a m Ml rl ah MA Patented June 18, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARCUS E. ADCOCK AND ALVIN E. WALDEN, OF LANKERSHIM, CALIFORNIA; SAID WALDEN ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 'IO DAVID W. BOARDMAN.

PIANO-MOVING TRUCK.

Application filed April 23, 1927. Serial No. 186,003.

Our invention relates to trucks for moving pianos and heavy furniture.

The primary object of our invention is to provide a comparatively light and atthe same time a reliable truck whereby pianos and heavy pieces of furniture may be moved with unusual facility and speed.

A further object is to provide a truck of the character described which is equipped with an adjustable dolly which may be utilized to reduce friction when moving over level surfaces and to prevent marring of floors, carpets, etc., and may be swung to an inoperative position when moving down stairways or steep inclines.

Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter, and while we show herewith and will describe a preferred form of construction, we do not desire to limit ourselves to such preferred form but that various changes and adaptations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of our invention as hereinafter claimed.

Referring to the drawings which accompany this specification and form a part thereof:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of our piano moving truck complete, with binding straps, the position of a piano mounted thereon being indicated in dotted lines, by way of illustration.

Fig. 2 is a rear-end view of the truck shown in Fig. 1 without the binding straps.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the truck, taken approximately on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a plan View of the truck without the binding straps.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the front end of the truck shown in Fig. 1-, taken on line 5-5 of that figure.

Fig. 6 is a still further enlarged transverse view of the truck shown in Fig. 1, taken on line 6-6 of that figure.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary side view of the truck showing the dolly in its operative position.

Fig. 8 is an edge view of one of the binding straps, showing the fastening means used in preference to a buckle.

Considering the drawings more in detail it will be seen that the truck is made in the form of a rigid frame 9 having two parallel sidebars or runners 10 held in spaced. rela tion to each other by relatively narrow boards 11, fastened at spaced intervals to their upper edges, and tie rods 12 extending through the runners and through spacing sleeves 13 between the sidebars. Two relatively wide cross-boards 14 and 15, the former set edgewise and the latter laid flat, in

the ends of the runners, those in each runner being in transverse alignment with those of the other, and binding straps 19, one end of which is equipped with a pair of fastening rings 20, are passed through said slots 18, said straps being long enough to encompass a piano and bind it to the truck frame.

A roller 21 mounted in an adjustable frame 22 forms a dolly which is pivotally fixed between runners 10, adjacent the middle of the truck frame. Dolly frame 22 consists of two relatively short bearing bars 23, held in parallel spaced relation to each other by a yoke 24; fixed between the lower ends thereof, and it is pivoted on a transverse rod 25 extending through runners 10, through the upper ends of bars 23 and through a sleeve 26 which fits between the upper ends of said bars 23. The dolly frame, as a whole, is thus adapted to turn on pivot rod 25 so as to swing roller 21, which is pivoted in the lower ends of bear ing bars 23, and yoke 24, downwardly below runners 10 or upwardly between them. By this construction the end arms of the yoke 24 are, in effect, made in one piece with the bearing arms 23 and thus provide a double bearing surface for the end portions of the pivot bar of the ground roller 21. This is an important feature of the invention as it provides a substantial, wear-resisting construction well adapted to withstand the heavy strain and wear to which the bearings of the ground roller are subjected. Extra holes 27 are made in runners 10 to provide for changing the position of the dolly in the truck frame so as to balance it forlonger or shorter pianos.

Stop-pins 28 are provided on the inner sides of runners 10, in position to engage frame W are as tzu held it at a stlitable wade:

gas-n I ing angle, as is clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 7. In other words, said stop-pins 28 are located where they will co-operate with the pivot rod 25 on which the roller-carrying bars 23 are mounted to maintain said bars 23 at an angle beyond the downward dead center of the swinging movement permitted to said bars so that the weight of the truck when supported by roller 21, is borne ointly by rod 25 and pins 28. Spring buttons :29, known as Forg catches, are fixed on the inner sides of runners 10 in position to engage dents 80 made in the outer faces of bearing bars 23, so as to hold the dolly in its inoperative position, indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5. Cross-boards 11, let and 15 are covered with carpet material 81 or other suitable padding to prevent marring of pianos or furniture carried thereon.

The operation of our piano moving truck is sufficiently evident to require but little explanation. The piano is bound to the truck frame by means 01 straps 19, as indicated in Fig. 1. W hen it is to be moved across carpets or finished floors, or up ramps and like inclines the dolly is swung downwardly against stop-pins 28, so that the load is carried on roller 21 with a minimum of friction. \Vhen the piano is to be moved down a stairway or other steep incline the dolly is swung to its inoperative position and the load is carried on the runners or skids 10.

Having thus illustrated and described our invention, we claim:

In a truck, a rigid frame having a pair of side bars adapted to serve as runners, a pivot bar spanning the space between said side bars, a dolly frame comprising a central yoke which has relatively short arms at its ends extending at right angles to the body of the yoke, a ground roller embraced loosely by the arms of said yoke a pair of bearing bars one of which alines with and is secured to each end arm of said yoke thus ]')l'(1\'idin a double bearing surface for the end port ions 031? said pivot be an axle for said ground roller, said axle at each end extending through the yoke arm and bearing bar at that side, said bearing bars having their other ends pivoted to the aforementioned pivot bar and being adapted to swing said roller downwardly below the lower edge of the runners beyond oead center to an inclined operative position, and a stop pin which projects tron] the inner face of each runner and co-operates with the recited pivot bar to support the runners when the ground roller is in the operative position.

MARCUS E. ADCOCK. ALVIN E. \VALDEN. 

